On Rotation: My Mine – Hypnotic Tango

A new feature where we’ll take some time to give some of our current favourites a moment in the spotlight…

My Mine’s ‘Hypnotic Tango’ has remained a firm favourite for Italo collectors since its initial release in 1983. Sure, the vocal has a waft of Taleggio about it, but that’s part of its wonderfully weird charm (although none of that is really lost on the instrumental version). Stabs of overdriven bass synth bring the sci-fi and equipped with a music video that delivers a heavy dose of ’80s kitsch, it’s practically the archetypal Italo single.

The popularity of the track wasn’t confined to continental Europe back then either. While he made his name at the Warehouse, Frankie Knuckles had already jumped ship by the time his edit hit the shelves. Leaving for pastures new, the club was becoming increasingly commercial and Knuckles’ loyal following went with him. Under the tutelage of DJs like Ron Hardy (and renamed the Music Box), however, the venue regained its legendary status and tracks like ‘Hypnotic Tango’ were in constant rotation. Considering the Knuckles edit came out roughly four years after he left, clearly My Mine had captured the imagination of the Chicago scene as a whole.

‘Hypnotic Tango’s legacy also lives on through London-based duo Olly and Ilan, who named their party after it. As East London venue The Waiting Room prepares for this weekend’s Italo-fuelled soirée with MWX and Wave Energy Converter of Magic Waves and Mothball Record’s Hysteric, it seemed fitting to have everyone pitch in with a few words on the track…

Hysteric: ‘Hypnotic Tango’ was one of the first Italo-disco maxis I ever owned, through sheer luck of actually being able to find it in Melbourne (this was before the convenience and immediacy of the Discogs marketplace). It also featured in my very first Italo-disco mix, which if anyone has on CD is probably great blackmail material. Although various attempts have been made to update and remix the song (including a trance version… sacrilege), nothing can touch the charm of the original.

Hypnotic Tango: We settled on the name ‘Hypnotic Tango’ with minimal fuss as it represents everything we love about the ’80s and synth music in general. When the track drops, it’s impossible to not punch the air to the thumping bass drum / backflip to the spellbinding synths. Combine that with the otherworldly song title and slightly garbled lyrics about courtship (and dance floor dizziness) and you have the recipe for a sublime dancefloor banger.

MWX: Hypnotic Tango conveys feelings of happiness whilst still having an edge with the darker rifts and unusual percussion. This element of dualism, its catchy melody and synchronised vocals are a sure fire hit to get the dance floor moving.

Wave Energy Converter: One cold winter’s night in Aberdeen quite a few years ago, MWX lets me hear Hypnotic Tango for the first time. I was a bit of an Italo novice but from that moment on it changed my perception and love for the genre forever!

Hysteric, MWX and Wave Energy Converter play Hypnotic Tango at The Waiting Room on April 21st – buy tickets here.